Seattle Spotlight: tinytongs is making mealtime easier

Based in Gig Harbor, Washington, Carys LLC has created what they believe to be the perfect solution to mealtime frustrations - tinytongs.

Carys Bice, creator of tinytongs, says, "With three children under the ago of five, I spent countless hours at the dining table watching more food being dropped on the floor than making it into my children's mouths. tinytongs bridges the gap between eating with fingers and adult's utensils. They make mealtime more successful and pleasurable for all of us." Designed to work with the "pincer grip" that develops in children between 12 and 15 months of age, tinytongs are ergonomically curved to fit tiny hands. Made from polypropylene with TPE over-molding, they are non-toxic,  lead, BPA, and phtalate free.

I will admit, when I first saw these I laughed. If a child can use tongs, they can use a spoon, right?

Not necessarily.

The grip you use to hold traditional silverware doesn't develop until after children master the "pincer grip", long after for some children. I was looking at the product and suddenly flashed on my daughter, 10 now, who for whatever reason had a heck of a time eating with spoons and forks when she was little. They weren't comfortable for her to hold, so she just didn't. It seemed there was always a struggle to get her to "eat properly". Looking back, these may have been very successful for her. Heck, maybe she'd use them now!

I brought these to a friends house to try them out on her adorable kids. Kinny, who is 11 months old, immediately picked them up and put them in her mouth. She wasn't quite ready to pick up food with them (tinytongs are recommended for ages 12 months - 5 years), but she played with them and was able to make them open and close. Jackson, who is two and a half, had a very hard time being patient for his sister to have a turn. He definitely wanted his turn! He used them to eat his macaroni salad, and while there seemed to be a bit of a learning curve (possibly because he already knows how to use a fork and spoon) he was able to successfully get food to his mouth. The tongs are designed to be easy enough for the smallest hands to close.

While I might not recommend these for every child (if they do well with silverware, why teach them twice?), I think there are quite a few kids out there who are like my daughter was. Even if they use these simply because they are more fun than traditional silverware, that's a win if it means less mess and frustration, right? I can also see that if you gave these to a 12-18 month old with a pile of cheerios they would be great at helping to develop dexterity and hand-eye coordination.

tinytongs are available at tinytongs.com for $7.99 each.

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